So now it's RIP Leonard Cohen, who at least lived to a ripe old age, and seems to have died happy. I fancy he always was (well, reasonably so) - I never bought into the 'Godfather of Gloom' stuff; so many of his songs are full of self-deprecating humour and delight in the pleasures of life. I'm Your Man, my favourite among his albums, would surely make anyone smile. In a way it's a pity Cohen didn't pip Dylan to the Nobel - he was, after all, a poet who started singing his poems, unlike the songwriting genius Bob.
Which track to play? I've opted for this one, which somehow seems fitting. It's adapted from a poem by Cavafy, which itself took its inspiration from Antony and Cleopatra. I rate it one of Cohen's most beautiful songs.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Don't reckon Bob'll be long with us now.
ReplyDeleteYes Nige, you do not lie - one of his most beautiful songs, due in no small measure to the input of Sharon Robinson. As the final chapter loomed, like many great creative artists, he pared his 'art' back to almost nothing. If you can bear it, try It Seemed The Better Way, from his final album You Want It Darker - it will stop your clocks for sure....
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nyMrjGX2vk
Oh my - yes, that's quite something... Thanks MM.
ReplyDeleteThere haven't been many funny Leonard Cohen stories this past week, but I love this account of Cohen trying to convince his friend, the NY poet Kenneth Koch, to become a singer. Koch: '“I can’t carry a tune.” He said, “That’s good, that means no one else will be able to sing your stuff.” And I said, “Well okay, but also I don’t play an instrument.” He said, “You can probably learn — let’s try.” There wasn’t anything that made noise except a vacuum cleaner. I plugged in the vacuum cleaner and I thought I’d be more in the mood to sing if I stood up on a chair...'
ReplyDelete